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4College Sophomore24 days ago

Campus Housing:
Space is limited, but that's true of most dorms. Bathrooms are always clean and all-gender. Most dorms have kitchen spaces available. There are also laundry facilities in most dorms. The lottery process is really easy and everyone who needs on-campus housing gets it.

Off-Campus Housing:
Though off-campus housing is limited, there are enough options that many people do it. Housing is generally very affordable and with good budgeting is less expensive than on-campus housing plus meal plan. The main downside to living off campus is being a little farther away, and walking up the hill in winter gets tiresome fast.

Scholarships:
The application process is fairly straight-forward (though there are several redundant forms), but almost of my friends receiving financial aid faced significant cuts when returning for sophomore year. I include my own financial aid in that group. Hopefully it will not get cut any more next because I may not be able to return.

Local Area:
The town is tiny and does not have the amenities one might expect of a college town. This is partially because there is not a great relationship between the students and the townies, mostly due to economic disparity. However, the natural beauty of the surrounding area is amazing and offers a lot of outdoor options - hiking, rock climbing, skiing, backpacking, hunting, etc. - to students and visitors.

Athletics:
We are a small school that is academically focused, so it's difficult to have great sports teams. However, our men's rugby team is one of the best in the country and other teams often do well in our division III NESCAC competitions.

Academics:
The classes are challenging and the professors are amazing. They care about individuals and want to help us become successful in our field by learning and getting research jobs/internships. However, Middlebury's one class = one credit system makes it difficult to be a science major with a lot of labs compared to non-science majors.

Academics:
Middlebury is a difficult but supportive academic environment. Students are driven but not overly competitive with each other. There are work environments on campus for every type of person - from quiet spaces no one will talk to open spaces where you're likely to run into a whole host of friends in a the course of a few minutes. Campus is designed for people to be focused on learning but also to be social. Professors are usually available for individual meetings and happy to help those who ask. The workload can be overwhelming at times, but with some hard focus and coffee from the dining hall it all gets done.

Campus Housing:
First year housing is based on your first year seminars and the rooms range from extremely nice to extremely unpleasant depending on which hall you get allocated. In my case, I got allocated to the most "social" one but also the worst one in terms of amenities. It's all based on luck.

Campus Housing:
Overall, housing is pretty great at Middlebury. Freshman year you have no say over where you live, and the range in quality of freshman dorms is by far the largest. That being said, if you live in Battell, which is typically described as being the worst dorm, the atmosphere is unique and bonding. I haven't met anyone who has regretted being placed in Battell. Housing just gets better as the years progress, with upperclassman housing being both spacious and just great all-around. The housing process can be stressful though, and if you get a bad number you better hope one of your friends did better.

Scholarships:
Middlebury is a need-blind Institution, and they meet 100% of demonstrated financial aid if you're accepted. You can always find people who complain that they need more aid than calculated, but it would be calculated similarly at any other school, and at other schools they may not meet the full need.

Administration:
No administration is perfect. Regardless, academic honesty and the Honor Code are taken seriously, and breaches punished accordingly. In terms of alcohol and parties they're what you'd expect from a college administration. If you're caught with alcohol as a minor you'll get a citation, or throwing a ridiculously loud party you could get shut down. Nothing too serious, but repeated violations do add up.

Majors:
Declaring a major is as simple as filling out some paperwork and asking a professor to be your advisor. I have never in my time at Middlebury heard of a student being rejected from a certain major. The only issue I can imagine may arise when trying to change majors, in the case that a student would not have/be able to obtain enough credits in order to graduate on time.

Majors:
While you are, I suppose, in a certain club once you join your major, it isn't anything too groundbreaking. Depending on what it is, you could have access to certain spaces or materials, and professors will be even friendlier. Since it isn't a competitive process, most materials and benefits that you have being a specific major are also accessible by non-majors.

Athletics:
Being a D3 school, it's acknowledged that athletics aren't everything. That being said, with such a large percentage of students playing varsity sports, they are a part of life here, and can be taken rather seriously. Students support Middlebury, especially against other NESCAC teams. Sporting events are fairly well attended, depending on the sport. The athletic facilities are fairly nice and open to everyone, and will shortly be even better with the new field house set to open soon. IM sports are a big draw, soccer and basketball in particular. The majority of campus partakes in some kind of sport, whether it be IM or varsity.

Health & Safety:
Middlebury is safe, it's as simple as that. We're isolated from major cities, and a small enough community that no one has any qualms or fears that possessions will be stolen. There will probably be a few incidents each year stemming from alcohol, but even then nothing too serious.

Off-Campus Dining:
Middlebury has a nice assortment of restaurants in town, all of which are within walking distance (if you're able to drive, there are several more upscale options). There's variety in terms of style, and the food tends to range from pretty good to excellent.

Local Area:
While students typically complain that Middlebury is in the middle of nowhere (which it is), they don't give the town the credit it deserves. Yes, it's out of the way. But there's access to shops, good food, and ways to amuse oneself. It's nothing compared to a large city, but you know that going in, and it makes the best of what it has.

Campus Housing:
Freshmen and sophomore housing is in the oldest dorms on campus. These buildings are not very clean and wireless internet access is not great. Junior and senior suites and social houses are located in newly refurbished, high quality dorm buildings and social houses.

Overall ExperienceWhat's this?

Most people you talk to who are still in school at Middlebury are more than satisfied with their college experience or else they wouldn’t be doling out the high tuition to come here. The academics are outstanding, though you may wonder where your classes will take you later. Students often wish they toiled less at the books and more at the booze, but the pristine facilities tend to distract from scholastic misery. Professors are brilliant, witty, and sympathetic, although there are some haughty bumps in the road. The on-campus social scene is lively and shot through with school spirit. The athletics puts Middlebury at the top of its division, and the area is quaint (“quaint,” unfortunately, being the opposite of any adjective suggestive of “nightlife”).

Middlebury provides an incredibly varied experience—an opportunity to stick your paintbrush in all shades of colors, so to speak. Students can leave Middlebury with seven different areas of study, visits to 10 foreign countries, and/or stories of rock climbing in New Zealand under their belts. Sure, you’ll inevitably take a class or two that ends up as the bane of your existence for a semester, and you will cringe at the titanic tuition bill every month, but the people you’ll meet and the places you’ll go will set your experience apart from those of other students in your high school’s graduating class. The daunting ambitions of others around you will provide a constant challenge to your own motivations, actions, and thoughts.